WOMEN in England can now bypass their GP and book straight in with their midwife for pregnancy care.

The NHS England announcement about online self-referral has been introduced by local health bodies.

Women will now be able to refer themselves to local maternity services via nhs.uk, which is intended to give them faster first appointments.

Whitehall is hoping the move could free up tens of thousands of appointments for overstretched GPs.

NHS England said that it is estimated that the new service could lead to 180,000 fewer calls to GPs and up to 30,000 fewer general practice appointments each year.

But about a quarter of local health bodies are yet to “connect” to the national service, with pregnant women in these areas able to self-refer via local trust sites.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Early pregnancy should be about joy and excitement — not wrestling with NHS bureaucracy to book a midwife appointment.”